Volume 10, Issue 2, August 2009 Concordia University, St. Paul
Faculty Bulletin can be accessed directly from the Academic Affairs web page: (Or go to the Faculty/Staff Portal, click on “Academic Affairs, and then click on Faculty Bulletin. The bulletin will emphasize faculty policy and business issues, upcoming events, professional development opportunities, and DEADLINES. News items for the faculty and the Concordia community are publicized through the weekly CSP Update. It is expected that faculty will fully read the Faculty Bulletin and respond, if requested. Articles for publication in the Faculty Bulletin may be submitted via email to at least three working days prior to publication. The next issue will be sent on September4, 2009. The submission deadline for articles for the next issue is August 24, 2009.
Dr. Marilyn Reineck has been named the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, effective immediately. She has served Concordia University as chair of the Department of Communication Studies for the past 13 years. Prior to joining CSP’s faculty in 1980, she taught at Concordia Chicago, Concordia University Nebraska, and was a Department Chair at Lutheran High School in Mayer, Minn. Marilyn is married to Dr. Robert Reineck, and their two children, Dr. Elizabeth Reineck ’03 and Paul Reineck ’09, are both graduates of Concordia University, St. Paul.
- All technology purchases(hardware and software) need to be reviewed and approved through Information and Technology please contact Jonathan Breitbarth () or Eric E. LaMott ().
- Off-Campus and Global Trips–if you are making plans for any off-campus event, tour or trip, please submit the registration /authorization form to the Academic Affairs office. The form needs to be submitted for ANY ACTIVITY that you take the students from Concordia to another location for more than just one day. This is a risk management coordination issue. You can find the forms at:
ALL REGISTRATION MUST BE IN THE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
If you do not know all the details, at least send a note of the intentions of the trip. Thank you.
- Post Meeting to the University Calendar
When you set up department and committee meetings, please have the meetings posted on the University calendar when requesting the conference room.
- As a Reminder: Please submit your Faculty Professional Activity Reports at any time through the year. The official deadline schedule is: November 1, February 1 and May 1, however, only about 10% of the faculty members are doing this. This is the responsibility as faculty to submit current and updated professional service. It is a helpful tool to support your portfolio when seeking advancement and it supports our goal to recognize and share our strengths and contributions. It also helps to shape grant requests and proposals.
Remember that you must submit all your activity to this site: It DOES NOT get into the report when it is sent directly to the Academic Affairs office, it must go into this data base.
Collegiate Convocation -Sunday, August 23, 4:30 p.m. in Buetow Auditorium
The goal of this event is to begin the transition of our new students and their parents/guardians from high school to college life. We request all full-time faculty (tenured, tenure track, or term) to join us in academic regalia to welcome the first-year students and their families to campus. At the end of the service, we will line up outside and applaud the students as they parade through. We hope to establish a tradition that begins with this Convocation and ends with Commencement. Faculty are asked to line up in Meyer Hall, 2nd floor, at 4:00 p.m. and will sit in the auditorium chairs again this year, surrounding the families. Thank you for your participation in this very meaningful event.
Festival of Beginnings – Thursday, September 3, 11:00 - 11:50 a.m. in Buetow Auditorium
- All tenure-track and Term faculty are expectedto participate in the Festival of Beginnings.Thank you!
- Adjunct faculty are welcome to participate in any or all of the above ceremonies.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Campus Ministry Summer Office Hours
8-4:30 Monday through Friday
Chapel Schedule
Summer: Monday through Friday10:00 a.m.
August 23, Welcome Week: Chapel will go back to 11:00 a.m.
Two e-newsletter sources from the Faculty Scholarship Center:
We’re pleased to present your new issue of Collaboration Newsbytes, the e-bulletin published monthly by The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching & Learning. Each issue contains important news andupdates about upcoming programs and professional development opportunities. Collaboration Newsbytes website: (), to stay updated with theCouncil on Undergraduate Research:
Fall 2009 Convocations
Wed at Noon, BEC
Sept. 2: Student Clubs and Activity Fair: sponsored by the office of Student Affairs
Sept. 16: Service Learning: Report from the Concordia University CALL Center. During the past year the Community Action, Leadership and Learning Center has been to Texas, Fargo and Guatemala. Faculty, staff and students will reflect on their service-learning experiences. This will be facilitated by Kelly Dotson and Justin Fleming.
Oct. 7: TBD
Oct. 21: American History Primer with Dr. David Woodard. This convocation will set the historical context and stage for the 2009-10 Book of the Year: Doris Kearns Goodwin’s, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
Nov. 4: Fred Hagstrom: Professor of Art, Carleton College. In conjunction with his Print exhibition in the Concordia University Gallery, Hagstrom will discuss the impact of taking students to the South Pacific and the influence of the natural world on his art work. Important to his work is the issue of how our art and culture reflect our relationship with the natural world.
After working figuratively for over twenty years, Hagstrom began working in a more abstract style because it felt like the best way to explore what interested him. He wants to see the art world become more concerned with passionately held beliefs and beauty, and less concerned with irony or market based strategies. He believes that art should be a part of people's lives, and that it has the power to change the way we view the world.
Nov. 18: Homelessness Awareness Week: Homeless and the Impact on Household Pets. How has the recession, foreclosures and homelessness affected companion animals? A panel discussion with local animal shelters will address these issues.
Annual Fall Faculty Retreat: August 17 – 18, 2009
Look for an Outlook Appointment sent by Jill Simon to confirm your attendance at the Faculty Retreat.
Theme of the Year: “The light shines in the darkness” – John 1:5
Book of the Year: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
The purpose of the fall faculty retreat is to position ourselves for sustained academic growth
Schedule
Monday, August 17, 2009
9:00 amChapel Service and Continental Breakfast– Graebner Memorial Chapel
10:00 amState of the University Address: President Robert Holst – Pearson Theatre Arts Center
11:00 am Report of Financial Matters: Michael Dorner, VP for Finance – Pearson Theatre Arts Center
12:00 pm Faculty Lunch (provided) – Sea Foam Stadium
1:00 pmPresentation by Student Support Services
1:15 pmImplications Wheel Exercise for University Faculty and Targeted Staff
Strategic Priority to Increase Enrollment of Students from Minnesota Community and Technical Colleges
3:00 – 4:30Faculty Senate committee meetings – Annual Planning (LTC classrooms)
Begin review of Faculty Handbook, Employee Handbook, Student
Policies Handbook, University Catalog, Graduate Handbook
Annual Fall Faculty Retreat: August 17 – 18, 2009
(continued)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 (sponsored by the Faculty Development Committee)
Buenger Education Center and LTC Classrooms
9:00 am Continental Breakfast (BEC)
9:30 amAcademic Excellence: A Vision for Now and the Future – Lonn Maly
10:00 amChapel
10:30 amBreakout sessions to discuss Academic Excellence (LTC Classrooms)
11:15 am Processing of breakout sessions
Noon LunchBuffett(BEC; dessert served at 2:30)
Speaker: Dr. Bradford Hewitt, Chair – Board of Regents
Academic Excellence
1:15 pmProfessional Learning Communities (#1)*
2:30 pmDessert break (BEC)
2:45 – 4:00Professional Learning Communities (#2)*
*On Tuesday, after lunch, break out into “Professional Learning Communities” – opportunities for joining with two different ones will be available. These will be in the place of the traditional Research Roundtables, usually held during the Retreat.
Professional Learning Communities
International Conference Presentations/ Book and journal article publishing
Conducting Research and Scholarship with Students
Cross-Cultural Teaching in the Classroom
Integrating a variety of technologies in the classroom: nuts and bolts
Off-campus enrichment programs
Conflict resolution in the classroom (and in academia)
Ethical Leadership in Education
Integrating Faith and Learning
Blended Course Approaches (face-to-face and on-line)
Concordia Survival Guide or Faculty Orientation Revisited
E-folio
Once a month, the Grants Committee convenes in the Carlander Room of the Cross of Christ Fellowship Center to coordinate our efforts and to discern which foundations are best for the university priorities we have established. This groupconsists of members of Administration, Advancement, college Deans and department Chairs.
If you are planning on applying for funding via foundation-giving, please remember to share your request with your Department Chair or Dean. They will then take your request to the Grants Committee to ensure no other university proposal is being submitted to that funder. For proposals that deal with faculty development proposals, you may also discuss your request with Alan Winegarden, Associate Vice-President (x8258). If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact Jennifer Downham, Director of Development (x8859).
Thousands of Minnesota college students will receive more help to keep college affordable, thanks to bipartisan support and action on both the state and federal levels. Funding for the State Grant awards that currently help 83,000 low- and middle-income Minnesotans will grow over two years by $70 million.
Here at Concordia University, 62 percent of our students receive State Grant awards that have averaged $2500. Significant institutional funding goes into need-based aid as well, but state and federal government assistance is key.
The changes will:
- Make more than 9,000 students newly eligible for government aid,
- Increase the average grant by 17 percent, raising it to $1,712, and
- Help eligible students who are not able to complete a bachelor’s degree in four years by awarding the grant for an additional semester.
At $70 million over two years, this will be the largest increase in State Grant awards in more than a decade. While the majority of the funds will help students at public institutions, more than $16 million is likely to benefit students at nonprofit private colleges.
Many students and supporters from the private nonprofit colleges in the state actively encouraged policymakers to take just this step. The voices of these advocates will continue to be important. If you aren’t a member of the Minnesota Private College Council’s Legislative Action Network consider joining today. The Network keeps you informed about higher education issues being debated at the Capitol and occasionally asks you to contact legislators about important higher education legislation. These outreach efforts do make a difference, building understanding of the importance of need-based aid. A number of students, faculty, and staff participated in Concordia’s legislative Day at the Capitol. A special thanks to these individuals for their advocacy on behalf of Concordia students.
Bob DeWerff
Assistant to the president
MPCC legislative contact
AntiVirus Software Patch
A non-critical patch is now available for NOD32 Anti-Virus software – the AntiVirus software used on Concordia University-issued laptops. Directions on how to obtain and install the NOD32 AntiVirus patch can be found . The most significant item this patch addresses is the unneeded additional text that shows up on emails indicating that ESET NOD32 AntiVirus software was used. This text appears every time the AntiVirus system scans your e-mail.
Make a difference for the environment and the University budget!
It may be nice to have your laptop or desktop power awake from sleep when you walk into the office in the morning, but doing so has a large impact on power consumption. Even when devices are not running, devices that are plugged in consume power. In order to save power, you should power down your desktop, laptop, monitors, and other devices when you leave the office in the evening. It is also wise to have everything plugged in to a surge protector that can quickly be unplugged over breaks to help the University save even more. The general rule at the Help Desk is that you should put your technology to bed when you go to bed.
Prevent Laptop and Data Theft
- Home Directories: The Information & Technology Department is now offering Home Directories to all faculty and staff as a place to securely store a limited amount of important information. You can register to obtain a home directory here:
- Back up Data: You never know when a disaster or theft might strike. As a result, you should routinely make a back up all essential files from your computer to a CD, DVD, or your home directory (H Drive). You can read more about backing up data here:
- Portable Devices: Only bring information that you absolutely need when you are traveling with your computer. Even then you should use good judgment. A list of usernames and passwords should never be stored on portable devices like laptops, portable hard drives, Discs, or USB Drives. Instead you should save these documents to your home directory (H Drive).
- Physical Security: Never leave your laptop unattended. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to run away with your computer. Many laptop thefts are crimes of opportunity; we should do our best to limit the number of opportunities we provide to thieves. Cable lock devices are available for purchase from the bookstore to secure laptops. Remember to lock office doors and classroom doors when you leave and place valuable items out of view from windows. Laptops should never be left in cars as extreme temperatures may damage the computer.
- Wireless Connections: When using a wireless connection to access the internet from any public (or unsecured) wireless network, don’t enter usernames, passwords, or other personally identifiable information. This information can be easily stolen by thieves who are online at the same location.
The change to the new CSPConnect portal is here!
On June 25, Concordia’s longstanding faculty/staff portal at was discontinued and replaced with CSPConnect. With the new portal the sites are better organized, you see only what you need to see, and you can personalize the site to meet your needs. It also provides single sign-on into the Bear Path and Outlook Web Access.
This change also means that the traditional Bear Path log in page of will be removed from use, as all information in there can be accessed via the portal.
What does this mean for faculty? All faculty members have a special tab designed just for them. On there you can enter grades, view information on advisees, and access faculty and other professional development resources. Additionally, faculty members who serve as advisors can see a series of tabs that start with “FA –“ and are all copies of what the students in the traditional program see when they log in.
All faculty who have taught in the last year were sent an email with further detailed instructions on what can be found in CSPConnect. If you did not receive that email, or if you have any questions about CSPConnect, please contact Beth Peter at
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